The Season 2 mid-season refresh advances on October 13, when Orin Straylight in Silvermoon City offers the quest "Ancient Depths, Ancient Venom" during realm maintenance. Turning it in starts Orin's research into Ascendant Venomstones, the currency that raises your item level ceiling. The same maintenance window opens the rest of the 12.1.5 content update, so the raid, the Labyrinth and the new campaign all arrive together.
What changes on October 13
Orin's quest is the refresh step tied to the update itself. Complete "Ancient Depths, Ancient Venom" and he begins researching Ascendant Venomstones.
The research does not finish that week. Orin completes it during realm maintenance the week of October 20 and then offers "Ascending with Venomstones", which is what lets you acquire Ascendant Venomstones as drops.
The crest cap is lifted the week of October 20, alongside the Venomstones.
The three-week refresh schedule
The refresh runs across three weekly resets, and the first one lands before the update.
| Weekly reset | What unlocks |
| Week of October 6 | An extra Nebulous Voidcore a week becomes purchasable for bonus rolls |
| Week of October 13 | The content update, plus the "Ancient Depths, Ancient Venom" quest |
| Week of October 20 | Ascendant Venomstone research completes and the crest cap is lifted |
Ascendant Venomstones
Completing "Ascending with Venomstones" empowers you to acquire Ascendant Venomstones, which drop from every Heroic or Mythic raid boss, Mythic+ Keystone dungeons at +10 and above, Tier 11 Bountiful Delves, and Nightmare Prey Hunt Champion gear chests.
Collect 10 of them and use them near the Catalyst in Silvermoon City to raise the item level of a fully upgraded Season 2 Hero, Myth, or maximum-quality Tidal Crafted weapon, trinket, or necklace. The item must already be fully upgraded, and the upgrade applies to weapons, trinkets and necklaces rather than a whole set.
If you would rather not farm the drops yourself, Epiccarry's WoW services cover the PvE and PvP activities that feed this kind of progression. Our Ascendant Venomstones guide walks the full unlock chain.
What else arrives with the update
The refresh runs on its own three-week schedule that begins a week before the rest of 12.1.5.
- The Unbinding of Kith'ix: a single-boss raid against the C'Thraxxi general Kith'ix, with Story Mode, Normal, Heroic, and Mythic difficulties, and a flexible group of 15–25 players on Mythic.
- Labyrinth of Kindo'jan: a nine-chamber, Delve-like gauntlet with a Tier 11 solo challenge, Mythic gear, cosmetics, and titles, run with Valeera Sanguinar as your companion.
- The Promise of Tomorrow: a story campaign that returns you to Quel'Thalas and Zul'Aman.
- Aqir Invasions: zone-wide public events in Eversong or Zul'Aman that run for ten minutes each hour, with six scenario types and eight possible combat affixes.
- Keystone Myth: returns with the update, and reaching a Mythic+ rating of 3600 earns the "Midnight Keystone Myth: Season 2" achievement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the refresh reset my rating?
No. The update is filed as a Season 2 mid-season refresh, so the rated season running now continues past October 13.
When can I actually use Ascendant Venomstones?
The week of October 20, once Orin finishes his research and offers "Ascending with Venomstones".
